I didn't move to Norway necessarily knowing that I wanted to live there, I kind of didn't have a choice because my wife is Norwegian. Now I'm here there are some things I really like about it but I tell people not to come in the winter because man, you have no idea how cold it gets. I just stay in my house and play the guitar and hibernate. But the summer is beautiful. One nice thing to do is to go swimming in the fjord. The Gulf Stream comes up to Norway so by July the water gets warm and you can go for a swim right there in the centre of town. There's a peninsula called Bygdøy that you can get a ferry across to. It's only about 10 minutes and the shore out there is real nice. Round that area there are a lot of museums, including the Maritime Museum and an area with some cool old boats too.

Oslo for drinkers

I'm afraid Norway's scene for drinking ain't great. For a start it's going to cost you about £7 for a pint so you have to be prepared for that. You don't really get pubs in Norway, it's mainly all bars, but there is an Irish place that is good. I know you get them in every city but this one is done real well (The Dubliner Folk Pub, Rådhusgt 28, dubliner.no) and also you get good music in there. They have bands doing traditional folk music and it's a real relaxed vibe. There's another bar called Mono (Pløensgate 4, cafemono.no) that is a great place to see local bands. There's a strong alternative scene in Norway but because not that many people live there it's kind of tough for them to make a living. But if you go to Mono you can see some good stuff. If you hear of a band called Turbonegro when you're there you should go and see them, they are a great Norwegian group.

Norwegian grub

I can't say that I've taken too much to Norwegian food, but I'm happy to recommend a couple of places so people don't make the same mistakes. Justisen (Møllergata 15, justisen.no) is real old and it's great. It's been around since the 20s and I think all the lawyers used to go there. It ain't changed a bit inside the dining room but now it gets an alternative crowd. They do a nice pasta there. Another fantastic place is Teddy's Soft Bar (Brugata 3A). It's an authentic American diner and it's amazing. It's been there since the 50s and it's got the red and white chequered tablecloths and this amazing jukebox with all the old singles on it. I like going in there and getting me a burger, it's a real neat place and not too expensive.

Music festivals

I don't play too often in Norway because me and the Norway venues kind of had a falling out. If you like music though you should think about coming over during the summer when there's a festival on. There's one called Norwegian Wood (norwegianwood.no) in Vigeland Park and there's a public bath there. You can go for a swim while the bands are on and it's kind of cool. There are some good venues as well, such as a club called the Rockefeller (Torggata 16, rockefeller .no). Amy Winehouse was on there this summer but it ain't too big, around 1,300.

A bed for the night

A lot of the hotels are typical chains and not great value for money. But Thon hotels (thonhotels.com) I'd recommend. There are quite a few of them and they are centrally located and not that expensive, by Oslo standards.

The best shops

I spent my life on the road from the age of 14 and to me it's a real shame that cities are starting to all be the same. Back then, every city was individual. In Oslo they have a lot of big malls but those places make me go kind of weird. There is an area called Grünerløkka that is still unique. You'll find a lot of secondhand clothes stores and some record shops. There's a fleamarket vibe and book stores so it's a good place to just hang out and explore. It has an alternative vibe with independent places that you don't find anywhere else.

Traditional Norway

Oslo is a modern city but if you want to see how life used to be in Norway then go to a place called Son. It's this old fishing town that is really small. My wife's family had a place down there and I really like the vibe. It's got quite a creative feel and an alternative scene because lots of artists moved down there. I'd also go out of town to one of the lakes and camp by the water because they are really beautiful. Man, you have not seen anything like the lakes in Norway, they will get you.

Beyond the city

One of the best things to do is a road trip out of the city. Norway is real under-populated, you only got four million people living there, so there ain't no traffic jams. One of my favourite trips is to go out on a road called the E134. That'll take you west out of Oslo up towards Bergen and through this varied countryside. It's just beautiful. You head out past these beautiful lakes and valleys and then you go up into the mountains. These are real mountains, so high up they ain't even got trees on them, but it's beautiful and like the old country. You'll see sheep farms and it's the real Norway but people aren't going around in a horse and cart; more people have broadband out there than in England. Norway is the richest country in Europe because it has oil so what you see are lots of people in Mercedes everywhere.

The walking tour

You know Oslo really ain't that big a city, there are probably only 400,000 people there, and you can get across the city in an hour if you go by foot. It's nice to walk round because it's real green and it's kept a lot of its old buildings. There's a great park called Vigeland that's a must if you want to go for a walk. It's got this crazy sculpture of these naked bodies and has to be seen to be believed. I go through there heading towards the Royal Palace.

· Seasick Steve's latest album, Dog House Music, and details of UK gigs in January are available from seasicksteve.com.